Pottery and Ceramics Tools

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All About Pottery Glazes

All high carbon steels will discolor and rust if proper care is not taken.
When not in use the tool should be kept clean and dry.
Even a simple wiping with a cloth will work.

Do not leave your tools soaking in water or slurry for long periods of time.

Do not use a power grinder to resharpen your tool.

Also the use of a file to sharpen a tool is not recommended.

Kick wheel - a table and bench with large weighted wheel near the ground with a pole extending up to surface of table with a round piece of wood (which is called the head of the kickwheel) attached to pole where the potter places his mound of clay and when the pottery worker kicks the wheel below spins the head and they can begin molding their clay. Most of the kickwheels are electric today.


Loop Tools - used to remove controlled amounts of clay from wheel thrown and sculptured pieces.


Modeling Tools - used to slice, cut, smooth, contour and pattern decorating.

Pattern Cutters - used to make decorations for pottery and ceramic items.


Pot Lift - used for easy removal of pottery items from kickwheel without damage.


Potters Cutoff Needle - used to cut through and remove the uneven top edge of thrown pottery. The needle makes a clean smooth cut with a minimum of drag.


Potters knives - used to trim and decorate thrown pottery.


Potters Ribs - used to open, shape, curve, smooth and trim wet clay on a kickwheel.


Pottery Centering Tool - used to center greeware pieces on a pottery wheel.



Pug Mill - a mechanical press that clay is pushed through to get all the air out so the pottery worker doesn't have to hand knead it.



Raku Tongs - usually forty one inches long used to take red hot pottery out of the kiln and place in a container with combustible materials.

Ribbon Tool - used for trimming and sculpting clay.

Sanding Block - coarse, medium or fine sand paper attached to 3" x 3" foam rubber square used to smooth surface of greenware.


Leveling Screen - 8" x 8" piece of screen used to level bottom of ceramic or pottery by sliding across or turning in circles.


Scrappers - used for shaping, smoothing, trimming and also can be used as a squeegee to remove excess water from pottery shapes.


Sculptors Thumb - a hand fitting sculpting tool that duplicates thumb and finger strokes without abrasive wear on the pottery workers hands.


Slab Roller - used to flatten clay. It has an adjustment for thickness of the clay slab that is rolled out.


Slip Trailing Bottle - used for applying casting slips, glazes and engobes onto pottery pieces, producing a raised decorative design.


Sponge Sticks - used to remove water from bottom and side of tall or narrow thrown piece of pottery.


Spout Maker - used to wrap a slab of clay around to make a spout. When clay stiffens it can be modified and added to a pot or sculpture.


Throwing Ribs - used to shape clay when working on a kickwheel.


Throwing Sticks - a twelve and a half inch long stick that aids in shaping and compressing deep and narrow necked wheel thrown pieces of pottery.


Japanese Throwing Sticks - aids in shaping and compressing deep and narrow necked wheel thrown pieces of pottery.


Trim Tool - used for turning clay or trimming on the kickwheel as well as for slab and hand building work. The blade comes in the five different shapes shown.


Trim Tool - is tapered or angled and is used for trimming greenware or trimming on a wheel as well as for slab and hand building work.


Turning Tool - used to turn clay down when working on a kickwheel.


Tulons - used to burnish and shape clay.


Wood Combs - used to texture outside of pottery.


Wood Paddle - used to shape, hammer and form. They are either rope finish or flat.

Tips Definitions Clay Projects Pottery Gallery Pottery Tools Glazes All About Clay

Have you ever come up with a good idea while working with your pottery or ceramics and thought that you would like to share it with others? You have? Well, why not send it to us and we will add it to the tips page for all to see.

There are signs that pottery and ceramics are losing appeal for a younger generation. There are pottery and ceramic departments closing in teaching institutions throughout the country. The common understanding is that younger students are reluctant to commit themselves to the intensive study required to master pottery and ceramics. Why spend three years to learn just one art form when you can pick up PhotoShop in less than a week? Pottery wheels lie idle as students flock to the computer labs. With all the stressful actions in the world today, releasing that stress through pottery and ceramics would be very beneficial to ones well being.